Prospective Study Of Birth Defects From Fetotoxic Agents In The Public Water Supply
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$732,036.00
Summary
Recent research in Australia & internationally shows that birth defects are more common in areas where mothers are exposed to poor quality drinking water, particularly when treatment chemicals known as trihalomethanes (THMs) are present. We will determine the risk that high THM levels pose to unborn babies by accurately measuring individual exposures to THMs & correlating these with adverse birth outcomes. The study will be in Perth where THM levels are very high in a number of suburbs.
A Phase III Trial Comparing Adjuvant Versus Salvage Radiotherapy For High Risk Patients Post Radical Prostatectomy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$819,138.00
Summary
About half of all patients Treated with an operation to remove their prostate cancer have a high chance of the cancer coming back. Giving immediate radiotherapy to all patients will improve cure rates but does not benefit all men and can cause significant side effects. This study explores whether it is safe to wait and only give radiotherapy when there is a rising PSA after surgery indicating active cancer. A total of 470 men from Australasia will enter this study comparing the two approaches.
Bell’s palsy is the sudden onset of one-sided facial weakness of unknown cause. Patients cannot close their eyes and mouths properly; this interferes with eating and speaking. In adults, there is conclusive evidence that a short course of prednisolone, a steroid, can increase the number of patients who recover completely. This study will investigate at 10 centres in Australia and New Zealand whether prednisolone should be used in children as well.
The Ovarian Cancer Prognosis And Lifestyle (OPAL) Study: Long-term Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$871,657.00
Summary
Ovarian cancer affects 1500 women each year in Australia and 5-year survival is <45%. Affected women thus face a poor prognosis and often ask what they can do to improve this. There is no direct evidence whether a woman’s lifestyle might influence her outcomes, although data from breast cancer suggest this is possible. The OPAL Study is following 960 women with ovarian cancer to identify whether lifestyle is associated with long-term survival to provide evidence for women with this disease.
Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health Workers’ And Liaison Officers’ Role In Quality Acute Health Care Services
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,571,334.00
Summary
This project will explore the role of and give voice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Liaison Officers in acute health care services (hospitals), from the point of view of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who use health care (patients) and the health professionals who work with them. The project team will explore these issues using interviews, patient journeys and surveys across three hospitals.
Improving Outcomes From Ovarian Cancer: Building The Evidence To Help Women Help Themselves
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,839,772.00
Summary
Ovarian cancer affects 1300 women each year in Australia and 5-year survival is <45%. Women with this cancer thus face a poor prognosis and many ask what they can do to improve this. There is no direct evidence whether a woman’s lifestyle might influence her outcomes, although data from breast cancer suggest this is possible. The OPAL Study will follow 1200 women with ovarian cancer to identify whether lifestyle is associated with survival to provide guidance for women with this disease.
Improving Radiation Therapy Of Static And Moving Targets Using High Spatial Resolution Real-time Dosimeters
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$544,425.00
Summary
Radiation therapy is a major oncology modality for cancer treatment and more than 50% of cancer patients can benefit from radiotherapy at some stage of management. This project will develop two real-time, high spatial resolution dosimetry systems for quality assurance of contemporary radiation treatments of static and movable targets. It will be possible to minimize human and robotic system error so as to guarantee accurate cancer treatment delivery and improve the clinical outcomes of radiother ....Radiation therapy is a major oncology modality for cancer treatment and more than 50% of cancer patients can benefit from radiotherapy at some stage of management. This project will develop two real-time, high spatial resolution dosimetry systems for quality assurance of contemporary radiation treatments of static and movable targets. It will be possible to minimize human and robotic system error so as to guarantee accurate cancer treatment delivery and improve the clinical outcomes of radiotherapy.Read moreRead less
Reducing The Greatest Uncertainty In Radiotherapy.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$594,197.00
Summary
The weakest link in radiotherapy is defining treatment volumes (contouring). Lack of accuracy and consistency in clinical trial contouring has been shown to result in reduced patient outcomes. Manual review of contouring is resource intensive, expensive and for advanced treatments unachievable in a timely fashion. We will assess an automated approach to contouring assessment using 4 clinical trial datasets, changing practice for future studies and enabling consistent assessment in the clinic.
Investigating Pathways Of Mitochondrial Quality Control In Diabetic Kidney Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$944,518.00
Summary
The mitochondria, the “power plants” of the cell, are damaged and accumulate in the kidney in diabetes. The objective of this study is to investigate exactly how these dysfunctional mitochondria accumulate in the diabetic kidney. The ultimate aim of this study is to establish if mitochondrial health can be restored using new medicines that directly target mitochondria, which will then improve kidney function, leading to new therapies for people with diabetes.
SNAC1: A Randomised Trial Of Sentinel Node Based Management Versus Axillary Clearance For Women With Small Breast Cancers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,663.00
Summary
SNAC1 will determine if sentinel node based management (a smaller operation removing a few lymph nodes) results in better quality of life and equivalent cure rates after 10 years follow-up compared with routine axillary clearance (a larger operation removing many lymph nodes) in over 1000 women with early breast cancer recruited to this large scale randomized trial from 2001 to 2005